Analysis of Moulin Rouge
Deidra Lyyski
ENG 225 Introduction to Film
Instructor Kenneth Newton
April 10, 2013
Analysis of Moulin Rouge
Many films use a stylistic system to structure a narrative around a main thematic idea. Baz Luhrman’s 2001 Oscar winning masterpiece Moulin Rouge (Luhrman, 2001) is one such film that contains each of these narrative elements: sound, cinematography, mise-en-scene, and editing. A more in-depth analysis requires that mise-en-scene to be broken down into the categories of setting, color usage, costume, makeup and hairstyle, and props. Through these elements, the movie’s theme of Bohemian inspired ideals of beauty, freedom, truth, and above all things: love is illustrated. Along with highlighting the prominent themes and symbols evident in the film, I will analyze how each of the above mentioned are used.
The film is set in the village of Montmarte, Paris during the pre-war era between 1899 and 1900. Christian (Ewan McGregor), an impoverished poet, comes to Paris and falls in with a group of Bohemians who want to sell a musical number to Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent), the owner of the Moulin Rouge. Zidler needs a financial backer to transform the bordello into a modern theater; the rich Duke of Worcester (Richard Roxburgh) is persuaded to back the renovations as well as a spectacular new show, written primarily by Christian, in return for Zidler’s guarantee that the Duke retains the exclusive favors of Satine (Nicole Kidman), the club’s star and infamous courtesan known as the ‘Sparkling Diamond’. But Christian and Satine fall in love and their secret, yet doomed romance plays out amidst the Duke’s advancements toward Satine, the development of the new show ‘Spectacular, Spectacular’, and Satine’s impending death due to consumption.
The musical within Moulin Rouge directly mirrors the ‘real life’ love story of the musical based film; with Christian as the sitar player and the Duke as the evil Maharajah....